Small vehicles such as recreation and utility vehicles have continued to increase in popularity. These include small vehicles such as snowmobiles, all terrain vehicles, and personal watercraft, as well as a variety of utility vehicles such as riding lawnmowers and utility tractors. One of the reasons behind the success of these vehicles is that, as a result of their small size, they are maneuverable, relatively inexpensive, and provide their rider with significant freedom of movement. Unfortunately, these vehicles generally share a number of undesirable traits as well, such as a rough and uncomfortable ride, and a minimal capacity to store the travel supplies and personal items of the riders.
Various efforts have been made to deal with the issues of rider discomfort and lack of storage space in small recreation and utility vehicles. For example, personal watercraft are commonly provided with a storage compartment arranged to lie within the hull of the watercraft. Typically this consists of a removable container which is inserted into an opening in the hull, with a lid to cover the opening of the container and inhibit influx of water. A compartment of this type is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,276,290 to Yamada et al. U.S. Pat. No. 6,523,634, on the other hand, describes an all terrain vehicle with a front storage compartment. This compartment is a hatched container, preferably removable, placed in front of the driver.
Two other patents describe different approaches to increasing the storage capacity available in snowmobiles. U.S. Pat. No. 6,371,233 to Ishii describes a storage trunk positioned towards the rear of a snowmobile seat that can be illuminated by the rear running lights of the snowmobile. This trunk is accessed by opening a trunk lid towards the rear of the vehicle. U.S. Pat. No. 6,179,184 to Hayes describes an attachable luggage for sports vehicles such as snowmobiles which can be attached to the rear of a snowmobile seat.
Different techniques have been used to attempt to reduce rider discomfort. A bladder positioned beneath the seat is described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,975,629 and 6,184,590, while various others have described the use of cushion material in the construction of the seat itself. U.S. Pat. No. 4,779,695 to Yasui, on the other hand, describes a snowmobile seat that incorporates a fixed backrest to reduce rider discomfort.
While the aforementioned patents provide useful advances in the art, none have provided an adjustable seat for small recreation and utility vehicles that both increases riding comfort while providing convenient access to a storage area.